Carton packaging machine

Abstract

A carton-packaging machine (10) which causes progressive erection of carton sleeves from a supply of blanks (11) in a magazine (19), the partly erected blanks being loaded with product (24, 25) and then being closed in the form of a sleeve around the product. An endless conveyor (12) moves the blank through a blank supply station (14), an erection station (15), a product loading stations (16), a folding station (17) and a discharge stations (18), and a suction device (20) cooperates with the magazine (19) in order to draw individual blanks in flat form into the path of travel of the conveyor (12) for engagement thereby. A shaping device (21) at the erection station (15) forms each blank into U-shaped form and which is then advanced by the conveyor to the loading station (16) for loading with product (24, 25). Overhead folding rods (34, 35, 36) at the folding station (17) engage the upper portions (25a, 23b ) of the side flaps (23) of the blank in order to fold the side flaps inwardly into overlapping relation, with a line of adhesive therebetween, in order to complete the formation of the carton sleeve.

I claim: 
     
       1. A carton-packaging machine which is operable to cause progressive erection of carton sleeves from a supply of blanks, to permit loading of partly erected blanks with product, to complete the formation of a sleeve around each product and to close the latter with the product located therein, and to discharge the loaded sleeve from the machine, in which the machine comprises; an endless conveyor moveable progressively through a blank-supply station, an erection station, a product-loading station, a folding station, and a discharge station;   a magazine arranged at the blank-supply station for holding a stack of blanks;   a suction device arranged to co-operate with the magazine and to operate in timed sequence with the operation of the conveyor in order to engage and draw blanks individually in turn, in flat form, into the path of travel of the conveyor for engagement thereby;   a shaping device arranged at the erection station and engageable by each blank in order to form the blank into a U-shape having a base and a pair of side flaps extending upwardly from the base, each U-shaped blank being then advanced by the conveyor to the loading station at which product can be loaded onto the base; and   a folding device arranged at the folding station above the conveyor and engageable with the upper portion of the side flaps, as each loaded blank is advanced to the folding station, so as to fold the side flaps inwardly into overlapping relation in order to complete the formation of the carton sleeve; and   rails extending alongside and above the upper run of the conveyor, the rails serving to support the base of the blank as it undergoes erection during travel along the conveyor.   
     
     
       2. A machine according to claim 1 in which the conveyor takes the form of a slatted conveyor having upwardly projecting flights spaced apart long the length of the conveyor. 
     
     
       3. A machine according to claim 1, including an adhesive applicator arranged to co-operate with the folding device in order to form a line of adhesive on the underlying one of the overlapping side flaps, prior to final pressing-down of the uppermost flap. 
     
     
       4. A machine according to claim 3, in which the adhesive applicator comprises a hot melt adhesive jetting device arranged to deliver, in timed sequence, a line of adhesive on the underlying side flap. 
     
     
       5. A machine according to claim 1 in which the magazine comprises a first guide portion which extends substantially vertically upwardly from the path of travel of the upper run of the conveyor, and a second guide portion which extends upwardly and rearwardly with respect to the direction of travel of the conveyor.